JPH07285248A - Paper end surface position detecting method of serial printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately detect the position of a paper end surface by moving an optical sensor in the direction vertical to a paper feed direction when the optical sensor detects the position of the paper end surface in order to detect the same in the paper feed direction to confirm the presence of the paper end surface. CONSTITUTION:It is judged whether a reflection type optical sensor detects the position of a paper end surface in a paper feed direction (step 1) and, only when both of two optical sensors detect the position of the paper end surface in the same direction as the paper feed direction of paper (step 2), the detected position is judged to be high in the possibility of the paper end surface to advance to a step 3. It is confirmed whether paper end surface position detecting operation is effective (step 3) and, in the case of effective, a carriage is moved left and right and the position of the paper end surface in the direction vertical to the paper feed direction is detected (step 4). When the position of the paper end surface in the direction vertical to the paper feed direction is not detected (step 5), since the paper is not present in the direction vertical to the paper feed direction, said position is set to a normal paper end surface position (step 6).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for detecting the position of a paper end face in the paper feed direction of a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional method for detecting the position of an end face of a sheet in the paper feed direction is such that when an optical sensor for detecting the end face of a sheet mounted on a sheet path detects the end face of a sheet being conveyed,
That position is determined as the paper end face position.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional method for detecting the position of the end face of the paper in the paper feed direction, the optical sensor for detecting the position of the end face of the paper also reacts to a black portion printed on the paper and a punch hole. Even though the sheet is in the middle of the sheet, the position is detected as the sheet end surface position in the sheet feeding direction, and the printer malfunctions.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a black portion where a photosensor for detecting an end face position of a sheet is printed or a punch hole. Even if the paper edge direction position in the paper feed direction is detected in response, it is possible to provide a more efficient method for determining the regular paper edge surface position without erroneously detecting that position as the paper edge direction position. is there.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A method of detecting the position of a sheet end surface of a serial printer according to the present invention is a serial printer in which a reflection type optical sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a sheet is mounted on a carriage. When the end face is detected, the sensor is moved in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction to detect the presence of paper, and when there is no paper in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction, the paper end face is determined as the regular paper end face. According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the sensors are provided, and the sensor is moved in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction only when the plurality of the sensors simultaneously detect a paper end face in the paper feeding direction. The presence or absence of paper is detected, and the operation of detecting the presence or absence of paper by moving the sensor in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction can be selected as valid or invalid. Characterized in claim 3 that was.

[0006]

Operation: Even when the optical sensor for detecting the position of the end face of the paper detects the position of the end face of the paper in the paper feeding direction in response to the black portion printed on the paper or the punch hole, the carriage equipped with the optical sensor is moved in the digit direction. By moving the sheet to the position and determining the presence or absence of the paper in the digit direction, it is possible to reliably determine the normal paper end surface position.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a top view in which an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a printer device. The sheet 2 is sent upward in the drawing by the platen 1 which is a rotary cylinder driven by a pulse motor. In the carriage 4, the driving force of the pulse motor 6 is the belt 8
The print head 5 mounted on the carriage 4 prints on the paper 2 while being driven by being transmitted via the guide shaft 9 arranged in parallel with the platen 1. In addition to the print head 5, the carriage 4 has a photoreflector sensor 3 capable of detecting the position of the end surface of the paper by utilizing the fact that the platen and the paper surface have different optical reflectances.
Are attached to the left and right of the mask holder 7 on the carriage 4, and the paper passes over this sensor when the paper is inserted and ejected, so that the upper end position or the lower end of the paper 2 in the paper feeding direction. It has a structure that can detect the position. Further, since the carriage 4 can move left and right on the guide shaft 9, the photoreflector sensor 3 is used to detect the right end position and the left end position of the paper 2 perpendicular to the paper feeding direction. be able to.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a sheet end face position detecting operation in the sheet feeding direction in the embodiment of the present invention.
First, in step 1, it is determined whether or not the photoreflector sensor has detected the position of the paper end surface in the paper feeding direction. If the photo-reflector sensor has detected the paper end face position in the paper feed direction, it is determined in step 2 whether the other photo-reflector sensor has detected the paper end face position in the paper feed direction, and both photo reflector sensors are detected. Only when the position of the sheet end face in the paper feed direction is detected, the position is highly likely to be the sheet end face, and the process proceeds to the next step 3. On the other hand, if only one of the photo-reflector sensors detects the position of the paper end face in the paper feed direction in step 2, it is determined that the position has reacted with the black portion or punch holes printed on the paper, and step 1 Return to.

If both photoreflector sensors have detected the paper end face position in the paper feed direction in step 2, it is determined in step 3 whether the paper end face position detection operation in the paper feed direction is "effective". If the result is "valid", the carriage is moved to the left and right in step 4, and the position of the end face of the paper in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction is detected. If the paper end face position in the vertical direction with respect to the paper feed direction is detected, the paper exists in the vertical direction with respect to the paper feed direction, and the two photoreflector sensors detect the black portion or punch holes printed on the paper. It is a reaction, and it returns to step 1 because it is an erroneous detection.

On the other hand, when the position of the paper end face in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction is not detected, the paper is not in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction, so that position is set as the normal paper end face position (step). 6).

If the paper edge surface position detecting operation is "invalid" in step 3, the paper edge surface position detecting operation is not executed and the operation jumps to step 6 to set the detection position as the paper edge surface position in the paper feeding direction.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing details of the method for detecting the position of the sheet end surface in the sheet feed direction of the present invention. Mask holder 11
A photo-reflector sensor 13 and a photo-reflector sensor 14 are mounted on the paper 1.
When 5 is sent in the paper feed direction, the paper end face position in the paper feed direction can be detected. First, consider a case where the paper 15 is fed in the paper feed direction and a black print band on the paper at the position A of the paper 15 passes through the photo reflector sensor 14. In this case, the photoreflector sensor 14 detects the position of the paper end surface in the paper feeding direction by the black print band of A of the paper 15, but the photoreflector sensor 13 does not have the black print band of A of the paper 15. Therefore, the position of the end face of the paper in the paper feed direction is not detected. Therefore, since both photoreflector sensors have not detected the paper end face position in the paper feed direction, it is determined that the position is not the paper end face position in the paper feed direction.

Next, the paper 15 is fed in the paper feed direction,
Consider a case where a black print band on the paper at the position B of the paper 15 passes through the photo reflector sensor 13 and the photo reflector sensor 14. In this case, both the photo-reflector sensor 13 and the photo-reflector sensor 14 detect the position of the end face of the paper 15 in the paper feed direction by the black print band of B of the paper 15, so that the position is the paper in the paper feed direction. It is determined that the end face is highly likely to be the end face, and whether the paper end face position detection operation in the paper feed direction of the present invention is set to “valid / invalid”.

If the paper end face position detection operation in the paper feed direction of the present invention is set to "valid", first, the ribbon mask 11 is moved in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction, and the photo reflector sensor 13 and the photo sensor are moved. The reflector sensor 14 detects the position of the paper end surface in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. In this case, when the photoreflector sensor 13 and the photoreflector sensor 14 are on the black print band of B of the paper 15, the photoreflector sensor 13 does not detect the paper end face position in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction. When either of the photoreflector sensor 14 and the photoreflector sensor 14 is out of the black print band of the paper B, the photoreflector sensor 13 and the photoreflector sensor recognize that there is a paper, and the paper in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. Since the end face position is detected, it is determined that the position is not the paper end face position in the paper feed direction.

On the other hand, when the operation of detecting the position of the sheet end surface in the sheet feeding direction of the present invention is set to "invalid",
The paper 15 is fed in the paper feeding direction, and the photo reflector sensor 13 and the photo reflector sensor 1
4 indicates the position where both sensors detect the position of the end face of the paper in the paper feed direction due to the black print band of B of the paper 15, and the position where the end face of the paper in the paper feed direction is detected is not the actual end face of the paper. Will be detected by mistake.

Finally, consider a case where the paper 15 is fed in the paper feed direction, and the paper end surface C of the paper 15 in the paper feed direction passes through the photo reflector sensor 13 and the photo reflector sensor 14. In this case, both the photoreflector sensor 13 and the photoreflector sensor 14 detect the sheet end face position in the paper feed direction based on the sheet end face position of C of the sheet 15, so that position is the sheet in the paper feed direction. It is determined that the end face is highly likely to be the end face, and whether the paper end face position detection operation in the paper feed direction of the present invention is set to “valid / invalid”.

If the paper end face position detecting operation in the paper feed direction of the present invention is set to "effective", first, the ribbon mask 11 is moved in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction, and the photo reflector sensor 13 and the photo sensor are moved. The reflector sensor 14 detects the position of the paper end surface in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. In this case, since the photoreflector sensor 13 and the photoreflector sensor 14 are displaced from the sheet end surface of C of the sheet 15, the sheet end surface position in the direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction is not detected. Therefore, the position is judged to be the end face position of the paper in the paper feeding direction, but the paper does not have the black print band and the punched holes as shown in the paper 15, and the photo reflector sensor 13 and the photo are detected in the middle of the paper. If the reflector sensor 14 cannot detect the position of the paper end face in the paper feed direction, this operation is unnecessary, and extra time is spent to detect the position of the paper end face in the paper feed direction.

On the other hand, when the operation of detecting the position of the sheet end surface in the sheet feeding direction of the present invention is set to "invalid",
The paper 15 is fed in the paper feeding direction, and the photo reflector sensor 13 and the photo reflector sensor 1
Reference numeral 4 indicates the position where both sensors detect the position of the paper end face in the paper feed direction by the paper end face of C of the paper 15 as the paper end face position in the paper feed direction. Therefore, there is no black print band or punch hole on the paper as shown in the paper 15, and there is no possibility that the photoreflector sensor 13 and the photoreflector sensor 14 detect the paper end face position in the paper feeding direction in the middle of the paper. In this case, the position of the paper end surface in the paper feeding direction can be efficiently detected.

[0019]

As described above, in the method of detecting the position of the end face of the paper in the paper feed direction of the present invention, the optical sensor for detecting the position of the end face of the paper in the paper feed direction reacts with the black print band or punch hole of the paper. Even if the position of the end face of the paper in the paper feed direction is detected in the middle of the paper, accurate detection is possible because the optical sensor is reconfirmed by moving it vertically in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction to see if that position is the proper end face position. .

Further, by making it possible to select "valid / invalid" for the method of detecting the position of the end face of the paper in the paper feed direction of the present invention, a sensor for detecting the position of the end face of the paper without black print bands or punch holes on the paper. If there is no possibility that the paper end face position in the paper feed direction is detected in the middle of the paper, the above setting is set to “invalid”, so that the paper in the paper feed direction of the present invention is detected when the paper end face position in the paper feed direction is detected. Since the end face position detection operation is not executed, the extra operation is not executed, and the paper end face position in the paper feed direction can be detected in a short time. On the other hand, if there is a black print band or punch holes on the paper and the sensor that detects the end face position of the paper may detect the end face position in the paper feed direction in the middle of the paper, set the above setting as When set to “Enabled”, the paper end face position detection operation in the paper feed direction of the present invention is executed when the paper end face position detection in the paper feed direction is performed. Even when the position of the end face of the paper in the paper feed direction is detected by the printing band or the punch hole, it is possible to detect whether or not the position is really the end face position in the paper feed direction. That is, the position of the paper end surface in the paper feeding direction can be efficiently detected by enabling the selection of "valid / invalid".

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view of a printer device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Platen 2 Paper 3 Photo Reflector Sensor 4 Carriage 5 Print Head 6 Pulse Motor 7 Mask Holder 8 Belt 9 Guide Axis 11 Mask Holder 12 Ribbon Mask 13 Photo Reflector Sensor 14 Photo Reflector Sensor 15 Paper

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A serial printer in which a reflective optical sensor for detecting the presence or absence of paper is mounted on a carriage, and when the sensor detects the paper end face in the paper feed direction,
Serial, characterized in that the sensor is moved in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction to detect the presence or absence of paper, and when there is no paper in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction, the paper end face is determined as a regular paper end face. Paper edge detection method for printer. 2. A plurality of the sensors are provided, and the presence or absence of a sheet is detected by moving the sensor in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction only when the plurality of the sensors simultaneously detect a paper end face in the paper feeding direction. The method for detecting the position of a sheet end surface of a serial printer according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The paper for a serial printer according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is moved in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction to enable or disable the operation of detecting the presence or absence of paper. Edge position detection method.